Showing results for "syncopated"

• past participle of syncopate.
• past tense form of syncopate.

syncopated

American  

[sing-kuh-pey-tid, sin-] / ˈsɪŋ kəˌpeɪ tɪd, ˈsɪn- /

adjective

1. marked by syncopation.

   syncopated rhythm.

2. cut short; abbreviated.

---

Other Word Forms

• unsyncopated
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of syncopated

1655–65; < Late Latin syncopāt ( us ) ( see syncopate) + -ed ²

Explanation

In music, rhythms or beats that are unexpected or sound "off" in an interesting way are syncopated. Typically, a syncopated beat puts the stress where it wouldn't usually be. When your ear is expecting a weak beat and instead hears a strong or stressed one, it's syncopated. This adjective can also describe rhythms that are uneven or that disturb the flow of music and take it in a different direction. As a verb, syncopate means to make music with this kind of rhythm and also to "shorten words by omitting syllables," from the Greek root synkope, "contraction of a word."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

syncopated

Standing in a line, they fall into syncopated steps, slowly coming together for a single breath and hunch.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 13, 2026

The opening ballad, “Risk It All,” is pretty but listless, with Mr. Mars singing over a gently plucked nylon-string guitar until a relaxed syncopated groove folds in.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 3, 2026

Each one’s momentary glow pulses alive and fades in syncopated rhythm with the drowsy croaks of bullfrogs.

From Salon ● May 10, 2024

While still a teenager, Mr. Wakefield mastered the heavily syncopated “chop” chord of the bluegrass pioneer Bill Monroe, whom he met in 1961 and who immediately recognized Mr. Wakefield’s prowess as a mandolinist.

From New York Times ● May 2, 2024

The swirl of syncopated rhythms sticks with me.

From "X: A Novel" by Ilyasah Shabazz